Time Management Tip: Why A Clock Won’t Keep You On Schedule (and what to do about it)

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post on how to manage your time without using a clock. Today I thought I’d continue along that vein and take a somewhat surprising position when it comes to time and time management. That’s right, I’m going to say it: a clock won’t keep you on schedule.

Huh? Why won’t a clock keep you on schedule? A clock won’t help you keep on schedule…you will.

Let’s say you have plans to meet a friend at a cafe at 4pm. You decide you’ll get ready at 3:30pm, leave the house by 3:45pm and meet your friend at the cafe at 4pm. When 3:30 rolls around you start preparing your things. At 3:45 you leave your house. At 4pm you meet your friend at the cafe.

Sounds straightforward, right? How about we approach the same story from a different angle? You start watching the clock at 3pm. You watch the clock in hopes it will help you keep on schedule, but you ignore the clock at both 3:30 and 3:45. You’re still at home at 4pm.

My point is this: a clock is a tool that helps you keep track of time, but it is up to you to put a value on time and react to it. Part of keeping to a schedule (and a big part of time management in general) is that of a stimulus and response. That is, at a certain time you’ll take some sort of action. If you don’t set a time, or if you do set a time and do not make a response, you’ll be behind schedule.

Here’s a few things to keep in mind the next time you are thinking about leaving time management or scheduling in the hands (sorry, I know it’s a bad pun) of your clock:

Don’t hold a clock to more than what it does.

A clock simply tells time. Leave it at that.

Set specific times to act.

If you are getting ready to travel, prepare something, or meet someone at a certain time, define certain times on the clock for you to act. In the example above, both 3:30 and 3:45 were stimuli or times to act.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CALENDAR.

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What will be your response?

Now that you’ve set certain times for you to act, what will you do and what actions will you make? When 3:30 rolled around in the above scenario it was time to get ready, at 3:45 it was time to leave the house.

Respond!

If you set a certain time to do something, do it at that time. Don’t ignore the clock. Remember, it’s not about the clock…it’s how you respond to the clock.

Rashelle Isip Productivity Coach and Founder of The Order Expert®

Rashelle Isip is a productivity coach and founder of The Order Expert®. She is a contributing columnist for Inc.com and author of four books. With over 16 years of experience in the productivity industry, Rashelle helps people work comfortably, sustainably, and joyously for the long term.

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